Category: portraits

Last year, I added something new to my a la carte options for wedding packages: an anniversary session! I am so excited about the opportunity it gives me to catch up with my couples and hear how the first year of married life went (hint: there’s usually a lot of compromise, but so much fun being newlywed!).

One of my first couples to choose this option was Josh & Amy, whose wedding took place in Martinsburg, West Virginia the day Hurricane Joaquin hit the East Coast. Thankfully, while it was overcast and freezing, but their wedding was able to proceed as planned!

Josh & Amy’s anniversary session took place on a chilly November morning in Warrenton, Virginia. We started at Whitney State Forest, and enjoyed the last gasp of fall leaves. Books were part of their engagement session, and are an important part of their relationship, so it was fun to take a few more photos of them just relaxing and reading some favorites together.

They also brought Nerf Guns to their engagement session, so I got a new shot of Josh & Amy ready to playfully face off in a fierce battle.

After we finished at the park, we left for downtown Warrenton, a quaint and picturesque American city. It was my first time in Warrenton, and I can’t wait to go back!!

Congratulations again, Josh & Amy — I have loved working together to capture your story these last couple of year

I was thrilled when my friend and talented colleague Anna Bolling hired me to take photos of her client, Virginia McCabe, owner of HouseDressing in Bedford, Virginia.

“Gin” is a kindred spirit — an artist, daughter of an artist, and a Virginia native, she is full of vivacity and charisma. My visit to her studio felt like visiting an old friend, even though we just met!

Her business is really fun, too: she works with clients in a variety of ways, from interior design and color consultations, to helping baby boomers as they downsize from a home to a retirement community.

For our session, we were going for a natural, relaxed feel, capturing images of her in her workspace that she can use across her social media and web presence.

Gin’s elegant taste that mixes classic, refined lines and textures with pops of color and modern patterns. The spaces she designs are simply beautiful!

We are oh so proud to bring this sneak peek to you. We were privileged to be chosen to photograph the senior dancers of Virginia School of the Arts. I can’t tell you how excited that made me!

I am a fan of VSA, for several reasons. For those who don’t know VSA, it’s a local preparatory school that trains teenagers from all over the world for professional dance careers, in a rigorous schedule of dance classes even as they attend the local high school during the year. These students are smart and oh so talented. And for those who don’t know me, ballet is the one thing I would do if I could choose anything in the world! The sight of a dancer en pointe still gives me chills.

So without further ado, here is part 1 of 3 previews of the senior photos! Enjoy!

I met Miss Alex bright & early this morning for the first time, after a few phone conversations and one threat-of-rain delay. Even though it was our first meeting, I felt like I knew her all along (though somehow my brain kept wanting to call her Erin, to the point of saying Alex-not-Erin once so I would keep it straight–weird). She’s just super sweet and down to earth. She was also super tired but was a great sport running around the pastures!

You can’t see it very well here, but she’s wearing the cutest horseshoe necklace, a gift from her father.

The horseshoe is symbolic–she’s been around horses, one way or another, for over ten years now. Alex is a Sweet Briar girl, and she chose the college because of its equestrian program. It’s clear she loves horses and feels perfectly at ease around them.

Meet Nassau, “her” horse on campus. He was a bit feisty, since he hadn’t had his breakfast yet. I don’t blame him!

I had such an awesome morning with Alex & Nassau. We also met Closing, who you will meet in a later post. There’s more to come from this session, but I wanted to put up a quick peek!

Before I go–I can’t say enough thanks to Andrew of LoJo Photography for helping out, since Adeel was home with Miss Sofia. He was a great assistant for the shoot, but he’s also a great photographer and I think it’s safe to say you’ll see some of his work here soon!

I wrote a whole post about how my sister met my brother-in-law, and then accidentaly deleted it. Suffice to say, my sister has one of those so-perfect-it-makes-you-want-to-puke stories, the kind that’s usually told on a silver screen while millions of women curl up with Ben & Jerry’s. Yep.

There was the initial meeting in Hawaii, the hike by the waterfall, the girlfriend (he was seeing someone, and wasn’t interested in my sister), and the distance of time & hundreds of miles between. And while my sister shed buckets of tears, there was a happy ending. With the typical double take. At Starbucks. And while it took a little bit of time after that, over three and a half years ago, they got married.

They have since crisscrossed the United States, most of the miles in a teeny little Honda Del Sol (may it rest in peace). But one thing they have never done is an engagement or portrait shoot besides on their wedding day, so a couple of weeks ago I took Brittany & Justin out on a rendevouz.

A few days later, Justin told Brittany (as they traveled west from the East Coast to the Pacific Northwest…whew!) that he felt like they were dating. Something like how it felt new & exciting, how the future was unfolding in front of them. And I can’t help but look at these photos and see a couple totally, utterly in love–but not just the early stages of infatuation, but deeper, more contented, a love that’s been tested and fought for, even for only a few short years thus far.

And it’s beautiful to see, even if it was a little awkward photographing my little sister makin’ out. Not gonna lie.

I can’t believe it’s already halfway through August! My teacher friends are already back readying their classrooms and kids were out in full force last weekend for the tax-free holiday. I’ve been piling up the peaches each week at the farmer’s market, soaking up the sun at the lake, and trying to enjoy Sofia’s first summer as much as possible!

I’ve been working with my senior portrait models for Class of 2010, and I’m excited to show a few of my favorite moments from Stephanie’s shoot. She’s running for Junior Miss this fall, too, so she’ll be busy after next week!

She brought her guitar to the studio, and even played a few as I photographed her. She’s very talented!

One of my favorite headshots–this one seems to capture her sweet personality.

We also spent some time outdoors at Community Market and even in the middle of Ninth Street, belting out some tunes into a microphone with her satin red pumps. As soon as I finish editing that batch, I’ll share a few more!

Coming up next week: a super special shoot with a Sweet Briar student that I cannot WAIT to shoot & share. It’s going to be lovely, indeed! And tonight, taking my own sweet sister out for an engagement/birthday shoot. She married my brother-in-law, Justin, nearly four years ago and never had an engagement shoot. So, for Justin’s birthday (let’s be honest, just because), I’m going out with them for a brief little session around downtown.